Breathing to Sleep

by | Dec 12, 2024 | eap assist

Below are some breathing exercises to calm your mind and body to help you fall asleep:

1. 4-7-8 Breathing Technique

  1. Allow your lips to part gently.
  2. Exhale completely, making a breathy whoosh sound as you do.
  3. Press your lips together as you silently inhale through the nose for a count of 4 seconds.
  4. Hold your breath for a count of 7 seconds.
  5. Exhale again for a full 8 seconds, making a whooshing sound throughout.
  6. Repeat 4 times when you first start. Eventually, work up to 8 repetitions.
  1. Bhramari Pranayama Beathing Exercise
  1. Close your eyes and breathe deeply in and out.
  2. Cover your ears with your hands.
  3. Place each index finger above your eyebrows and the rest of your fingers over your eyes.
  4. Next, put gentle pressure on the sides of your nose and focus on your brow area.
  5. Keep your mouth closed and breathe out slowly through your nose, making the humming “Om” sound.
  6. Repeat the process 5 times.
  1. Three Part Breathing Exercise
  1. Take a long, deep inhale.
  2. Exhale fully while focusing intently on your body and how it feels.
  3. After doing this a few times, slow down your exhale so that it’s twice as long as you inhale.
  1. Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercise
  1. Lie on your back and either bend your knees over a pillow or sit in a chair.
  2. Place one hand flat against your chest and the other on your stomach.
  3. Take slow, deep breaths through your nose, keeping the hand on your chest still as the hand on your stomach rises and falls with your breaths.
  4. Next, breathe slowly through pursed lips.
  5. Eventually, you want to be able to breathe in and out without your chest moving.
  1. Nasal Breathing Exercise
  1. Sit with your legs crossed.
  2. Place your left hand on your knee and your right thumb against your nose.
  3. Exhale fully and then close the right nostril.
  4. Inhale through your left nostril.
  5. Open your right nostril and exhale through it while closing the left.
  6. Continue this rotation for 5 minutes, finishing by exhaling through your left nostril.
  1. Buteyko Breathing
  1. Sit in bed with your mouth gently closed (not pursed) and breathe through your nose at a natural pace for about 30 seconds.
  2. Breathe a bit more intentionally in and out through your nose once.
  3. Gently pinch your nose closed with your thumb and forefinger, keeping your mouth closed as well, until you feel that you need to take a breath again.
  4. With your mouth still closed, take a deep breath in and out through your nose again.
  1. Papworth Method
  1. Sit up straight, perhaps in bed, if using this to fall asleep.
  2. Take deep, methodical breaths in and out, counting to 4 with each inhale — through your mouth or nose — and each exhale, which should be through your nose.
  3. Focus on your abdomen rising and falling and listen for your breath sounds to come from your stomach.
  1. Box Breathing
  1. Sit with your back straight, breathe in, and then try to push all the air out of your lungs as you exhale.
  2. Inhale slowly through your nose and count to 4 in your head, filling your lungs with more air with each number.
  3. Hold your breath and count to 4 in your head.
  4. Slowly exhale through your mouth, focusing on getting all the oxygen out of your lungs.